In 2004, I was "fresh out of the box" gay — shiny and new, with the plastic wrap still on. I grew up in Coral Springs, Florida, which isn't far from Fort Lauderdale. (Yes, people grow up there.) Being young in what's essentially urban-southern-sprawl makes for little opportunity to "be out." Even though I'd been "intellectually queer" for years, I'd never so much as (knowingly!) been in the same room as other gay people.

When I came to Portland, I had only one year of away-from-home living under my belt. I know you can relate — there are many things college freshmen embark on in that first year: drinking, drugs, sex, chosen homelessness, vegetarianism, veganism (to name a few). All the "stuff" that our families and parents and friends from home might frown upon or shudder uncomfortably at. Mine happened to be being queer.

Looking back, the most exciting thing that happened to me in my underage glory was sneaking into the bar Somewhere Else, currently Flask and once-upon-a-time Spring Street Piano Bar. I didn't go to drink — I went to dance and be absolutely surrounded by queers.

This was new terrain for me. Women being openly affectionate with other women; men dancing up on other men; and folks who could have been either or both or neither — there was something about it that was starkly surreal to me. Yes, in Florida, every once in a while, I'd encounter an older woman who "looked" like she was a dyke. That always elicited a certain internal response that as a child I didn't understand, and as a teenager made me feel like I was in a secret society. But here, in Portland, on the dance floor of Somewhere Else, there was nothing secret about this society at all. We were open, and out, and in each other's comfort and presence. We were seen. And it was the first time I felt truly visible.

This is what Portland has done for me in the past few years — it's allowed me to feel visible, and feel comfortable being visible. It isn't too out of the ordinary to see other folks who look and walk and talk like me wandering down Congress Street. And there's something to be said for that reflection. When we see ourselves, we are empowered. We rise up. We create community. Portland in 2004 made me realize I was part of a greater context — and it continues to do so every day.

Benign neglect? If you are gay or lesbian, or if you care about realizing social justice, you must be wondering when Obama is going to turn his attention to the fact that one in 10 of the nation's more than 230 million adults are second-class citizens.

Letters to the Portland Editor: July 10, 2009 A recent EqualityMaine campaign letter claimed that gay marriage is "the fight for our lives." I wonder whose lives they are talking about, when AIDS service organizations and community health/reproductive clinics across the state have been tightening their belts and desperately trying to crunch numbers.

After the Question 1 vote Last Tuesday, Maine became the 31st state to put same-sex marriage to a public vote — and to have it lose.

Saying their ‘I don’ts’ In case it slipped by one or two of you out there, Maine is a pretty homogenized state overall, even more so than a carton of Oakhurst or Hood milk.

Continuing homophobia Deirdre Fulton's and Shay Stewart-Bouley's comments and Seth Berner's letter on the Marriage Equality Act repeal are insightful. I would add another perspective.

Fair Share? On September 10, Boston City Councilor David Scondras wrote a letter to the city’s group-health-insurance director. “We have a non-discrimination policy in this city which includes people who are gay and lesbian,” wrote the city’s first openly gay city councilor.

Gay deceivers The California State Supreme Court just upheld Proposition 8, denying gay people the right to marriage. This should disabuse the complacent of the illusion that the religious right has relinquished its death grip on America. So, too, should Kirby Dick's documentary about the homophobic power of closeted right-wing politicians in America.

The rain in Maine If you're planning a trip to Vacationland this summer, be sure to bring your galoshes — the "gay storm" that's been satirized all over the Internet rolled into Maine last week.

Granite grind Much of New England joined the march toward marriage equality this year, but in the comparably conservative Granite State, its legalization has heated up a partisan battle for control of the governorship in 2010, promising that this political war isn't quite over.

BEST 2014: EDITORS' PICKS | May 15, 2014 Our ‘Best of’ categories are quite comprehensive (see our supplement in this issue), but there’s a lot of stuff they don’t cover — things that defy categorization, things we didn’t even know needed to be honored until we saw/experienced/enjoyed them.